Fishing has been one of my favorite hobbies since 2015 when I went to Cananda with my dad at the age of twelve. Being from Cincinnati, I am not near any natural lakes or even ponds, so fishing was never part of my life when I was young. Now me and my dad make the yearly Canadian fishing trip with my Minnesotan uncle and cousin.

The first year I was there I pulled in a three-foot Northern Pike and a two-foot walleye. Since then, I have yet to beat my twelve-year-old self, but I strive to get back out on the water and catch a winner. After we collect our food and throw back the trophies, we head back to the outpost, bread the fish, fry the fish, and gather for the best food of our lives.

As much as I love fishing, I make these trips to have these experiences with my family and surround myself with the scenery. The lake is big enough to get a beautiful nautical twilight that reflects off the still glass lake like a mirror, and the wildlife is nothing I have ever seen before in person. Moose, bears, bald eagles are common sightings on the lake. My father shares my affinity for the setting the lake provides, and we love to reminisce when looking at the concrete jungle of Cincinnati. My father and I have grown closer through these trips and spending time with just the guys. Having the opportunity to see my cousin and uncle every year on this trip is a gift with them living so far away, especially now that I go to school in Georgia. I hold the stories we share between the four of us over any other part of the trip.